Ladder.



C. A. CREAPO. I

LADDER. APPLICATION FILED Nov; 6. 1913.

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COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH C0.,\VASHINOTON. D. c

N D e c CHARLES cRnAro; or sir. PAUL, 'MINNESOTA..

' 1 f. I LADDEii.

Z '0 all w ham it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. CnEAPo,

' citizen of the United States, residing at St.

Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ladders, of which the following is a .specification.'

The primary objectof my invention is the production of a stepladder, which is particularly adapted for use in connection with sleeping car berths, whereby a passengermay easily mount an upper berth with safety, and be provided, with meanseasily accessible for quickly climbing down from the'berth on to the floor of the aisle.

i To these ends my invention-consists of a.

( ladder which can be easily hung when not in use from the curtain rail .of the berth. out of the way, and when desired lowered into position for use from the berth.

rigid ladder, which will not accidentally collapse. The. ladder is also constructed so thatwhen turned up and hung from the curtain rail it acts as a guard preventing a pas sen er from falling out :of an upper berth on to the floor of the aisle.

In, the accompanying drawing elevation of my invention applied in useto a sleeping car, the broken'line position indicating'the ladder when it is hung from the curtain rail. Fig. 25is anfenlarged detail of the ladder partly in section; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the ladder 'when'in folded condition, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailin-s'ection of one of the interlocking." joints employed between the sections of 'the'rails.

In the drawing A and B indicate the rails of the ladder-and C the steps.- The-rails' are similar in construction, each consisting" of" a"- series of jointed sections 2, which are secured together by headed pins 3 fastened to an end of one member and passing loosely through forming partof this specification, Figure 1 is a fside. 1

I jacent pairs of sections, of the sections Each of the opposite. ends of the outer sections ofthe rails is provided with a hook 5,, the body of which is secured on theinner fa ce of the sectionby screws 6 or other suitable means,said body having a slot 7 corresponding with-the slot 4 through the section and'the pin 3 passing through both of said slots The inner section of the rail adjacent the outer section on which the hook 5 is rigidly secured is providedwith a bolt 8' forming a lug over which the hook 5 engages when the sections are in fully extended position and in readiness for use.

rails in rigid longitudinal position when the sections areextended for use.

The upper se'ctlons'of the rails are pro vided with links 9 freely secured bypivots to the ends of the sections and provided with hooks 11 having enlarged headed'ends 12 which are adapted to engage through slotted plates 13 mounted on the edge 14 of the frame of the upper berth 15 of a sleep- 1 ing car. The slotted plates are fastened to the edge 14 such as by screws 16 and the en- This hook and lug form an interlocking connection holding the ratmeaoee'a, 1915. Application filed-November e, 1913. Serial-No. 799,415. I I

larged'headed ends 12 of the hooks 11 are 1 I adapted to be passed into engagement with saidplates through: enlarged openings. 17; The; lower endsof the rails are also provided'with links 18 .pivotally secured at 19 to the lower ends "of" the sections of said rails, said links being rigidly secured 'to-. gther by a lower step 20 and provided with hooks 21, which are adapted to rest on. the floor offthe. aisle. when the ladder is adjusted for use to the upper berth and with the sections of the rails" in fully extended out of engagement with their respective in.-

terlocking lugs and free the sections. l/Vhen desired the ladder can be raised by a person in the upper berth by the use of a cord 23 secured to the lowermost step 20 and passing over the successive steps across the alternate edges thereof as illustrated through screw eyes 24. By pulling upon the upper free end of the cord the ladder is folded upwardly from its lower end, the interlocking joints being opened automatically. After the ladder has been raised sufiiciently the lower end may be engaged by its hooks 21 over the curtain rail and the ladder left hanging while the hooks 11 remain engaged with the edge 14 of the .berth. While hanging in this position the ladder acts as a guard to prevent a passenger from falling out of the upper berth.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described the principles of operation of my invention together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as newand desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. A ladder, comprising, in combination, a plurality of foldable sections having steps, the sides of said sections constituting the side rails of the ladder and being hinged to gether to fold lengthwise of the ladder, the connection between each pair of said sides consisting of a slot in one member and a pin on the other member passing through said slot, permitting said sections to turn or move outwardly longitudinally and a rigid hook carried by one of said members and the other of said members having a lug with which said hook engages to hold said member rigid when the latter are in outermost positionand which disengages when said members are moved backwardly.

2. A ladder, comprising, in combination,

a plurality of foldable sections arranged end to end and forming side rails and having steps between said side rails and connected with pairs of said sections, interlocking connections between the sides of said sections of each rail adapted to uphold said sections rigidly in longitudinal position, means for detachably securing the uppermost of said sections to a support, and hooks on the lowermost of said sections adapted to support the lower end of the ladder in raised position on an object when the ladder is not in use.

3. A ladder, comprising, in combination, a plurality of foldable sections having steps, the sides of said sections constituting the side rails of the ladder, interlocking connections between the sides of said sections adapted to uphold said sections rigidly in longitudinal position when the ladder is in raised position, and to unlock when said sections are moved longitudinally apart, means for detachably securing the upper end of the ladder to an object and a flexible element secured to the lowermost section of the ladder and passing in'a zig zag course over the successive steps toward the upper end of the ladder, whereby the sections of the ladder are adapted to be unlocked and folded together from the lower end toward the upper end by pulling upwardly upon the free end of said flexible element.

4L. In combination with the floor of an upper sleeping car berth and the curtain rail of said berth, of a ladder composed of foldable sections having means for detachably engaging its upper end to the floor of said berth and means for detachably securing its lower end in raised position on said rail to act as a guard at the side of said berth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

CHARLES A. onnaro.

Witnesses S. L. WASGHENBERGER, F. G. BRADBURY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. 

